NFC Brings Contests, Content to Limited Jameson Whiskey Bottles

The company's 2017 limited-edition bottle targeted for St. Patrick's Day features an NFC tag with which Android phone users can connect with content about Jameson, as well as enter contests at Irish events.

Jameson Irish Whiskey is celebrating St. Patrick's Day with a Near Field Communication (NFC)-enabled system to provide consumer engagement with each of its limited-edition bottles. The whiskey brand, owned by global beverage firm Pernod Ricard, has launched its Limited Edition Bottle 2017, with technology to enable consumers to connect with content about the company and its product, and to be included in a drawing for several prizes specific to Ireland.

Jameson has released a limited-edition bottle timed around St Patrick's Day for many years, the company explains, but this is the first year that the bottle utilizes NFC technology. The 2017 edition features a design created by Dublin artist Steve McCarthy.

Pernod Ricard's Taryn Casey

The system was provided by U.K.-based Internet of Things company SharpEnd, a global technology innovation partner of Pernod Ricard's.

The beverage company has not indicated how many limited-edition bottles are being tagged, though it says the deployment is in the five-figure range. All of the bottles are being sold in Ireland, says Cameron Worth, SharpEnd's founder, and each one comes with an NXP Semiconductors NTAG213 22-millimeter round chip, applied behind the Jameson crest on the front label. The bottle also includes a neck-hanger label that provides printed information to consumers regarding how they can access content via their NFC-enabled phone.

The technology is intended to be used by consumers after they make their purchase—an "at home" experience, according to the company. They must first follow instructions on the hanging label to tap an NFC-enabled Android-based smartphone or tablet against the bottle label where the NFC tag is located, but do not require an app to communicate with the tag. The phone's built-in reader captures the bottle's unique ID number, prompting the phone to access Pernod Ricard's dedicated mobile website, where Jameson connected bottle content is located.